A Song Played on a Solo Saxophone
by Avirra
Summary: It has been a difficult year for Murdock and, if certain past foes get their way, things won't be getting any easier.  Takes place after 'Magic and Mayhem' - prologue takes place on the same day as 'Rainbow'.
1. Chapter 1

**A Song Played on a Solo Saxophone**

**Prologue**

It wasn't long after Murdock had come to the door and taken Bethany off to 'play in the rain' when there was another knock at the hotel door. Candace took a second to wipe the excess lotion off of her hands before moving to answer it. She didn't even bother to see who was there before opening it, assuming that it was her sister who had finally come to her senses.

Instead of her sister, she found herself facing a very serious looking Japanese gentleman in a very official looking suit. The man proceeded to ask her a number of questions about the lanky man who had recently been to her door. He wanted information and he was offering money in exchange. A lot of money. Enough money to have paid for their entire vacation so far plus another just like it.

Candace was afraid she wouldn't be able to claim any of the 'reward' money as Bethany really hadn't spoken a great deal to her about the man. All that she really knew was that his name was Murdock. Then she suddenly remembered that she'd seen her sister writing in her address book. Grabbing it up, she flipped through the pages. Not long after, the man was leaving with a Chicago address and phone number in hand as Candace was smiling to herself and counting out hundred dollar bills before tucking them away.

It was nearly midnight and Bethany still wasn't back in their room. Frowning, Candace moved to the window and moved back the curtain. Of all the crazy - her sister was in the parking lot laying down on the roof of a car along with the scrawny man who had apparently lent Bethany his leather jacket during the course of the evening. She couldn't imagine what the two of them could be talking about on the roof of a car at that time of night and wondered how long they'd been there.

As she continued to watch, the man shifted to his side and Candace suddenly felt awkward watching as the pair leaned into a kiss. Reclosing the curtain, she mumbled disapprovingly to herself as she moved to climb into bed. This was all so unlike the usually careful and solitary Bethany. It made her even more suspicious of the man

Candace wondered what Bethany would think when she discovered her new so-called 'friend' was wanted by the Japanese government? Well, maybe she just wouldn't tell her sister how foolish she'd been until they were back home. Yes, why mar the end of their vacation? Best to wait. It wasn't as if her sister was ever going to see that guy again once they got back home.


	2. Chapter 2

**Part II**

The darkness was pressing in on him. Then he heard the voices and felt the sweat break out all over his body. Vietnamese.

_~You should take a break and go outside. The weather is -~_

_~No. Do not mention it where the Crazy One might hear, remember.~_

_~Ah. I had forgotten. But I wonder why? What good would it do him to know about the outside?~_

_~Did you know that he once flew helicopters for the American dogs?~_

Laughter - rude, mean spirited laughter rang in Murdock's ears.

_~Well, he certainly will never do that again. He will never even see the sky again, let alone fly through it.~_

With a soft gasp, Murdock sat straight up in bed, totally disoriented as to where he was. Shivering and covered in sweat to the point that his pajamas were clinging to him, he eased out from under the covers so that he wouldn't wake anyone. Hotel. They were in a hotel. Right. He, Hannibal and Face were sharing one room while B.A. was sharing one with Momma on their way back to Chicago. They'd just dropped Annie and Dawn back home yesterday.

His shivering was on the verge of turning into a shudder as he stripped out of the damp pajamas. He didn't bother with shoes, just slid on a pair of pants, a t-shirt and his jacket before leaving the room as quietly as he could. Air. He just really, really needed some fresh air.

Murdock wasn't really fully awake and it didn't dawn on him until the door clicked and locked behind him that he didn't have a key with him. _Damn. _Well, no matter. He could just stay outside until morning. No big deal. He might miss his shoes before morning, though. It was colder out than he expected. _Rats._ Forgot his hat too.

Giving a longing look to the van, Murdock just sighed and started walking to try to warm himself up. The van was, of course, locked and the keys were in the room with B.A. He wasn't going to mess up anyone else's sleep just because of his stupid nightmares. It seemed like he could still hear the voices echoing in his head.

"Dung lam phien toi."

As he continued walking in the dark, Murdock wasn't even aware he'd spoken out loud back to the voices asking them to leave him alone. Then he heard the light patter on his jacket before he even noticed the drops starting to hit the rest of him. Shaking his head, he just looked up to the sky and laughed softly.

"It was just a dream, lady - no tears. You know I'd never leave you. Guess it's just you and me for awhile. That's okay. I like talking and you're a good listener. A little weepy sometimes, but that's okay too. I'd never want to change you."

Back at the hotel, Hannibal woke suddenly. He wasn't quite sure why until he heard the rumble of thunder and winced. Thunderstorms, especially violent ones like this one sounded like it was winding up to be, tended to trigger bad dreams for all of them, but especially Face and Murdock. Looking over to the other bed, he could see that Face had already pulled his pillow over his head. About two seconds later, when he realized that Murdock wasn't in the bed with Face, Hannibal woke up completely.

Quickly and quietly, he checked the bathroom. A quick survey led him to spotting Murdock's pajamas. They were clammy and damp when he touched them. Cursing under his breath, Hannibal quickly got dressed. He was trying to be quiet, but the next rumble of thunder combined with his movements brought Face to a light-wakefulness. Out of years of habit, Face shifted to check on Murdock then startled fully awake when he didn't find him.

When he saw Hannibal getting dressed, Face got up as well, reaching for and putting on his robe. Even though he didn't voice any questions, Hannibal knew the expressions of his second-in-command well enough to read them.

"I don't know where he is, Face. He was already gone when I woke up. If I had to make a guess, I'd say Murdock stepped out for some reason and forgot the door would lock behind him."

Face had already started looking around the room while Hannibal was talking. Sounded reasonable. One thing they all knew after their years together was that Murdock tended to feel claustrophobic inside after a nightmare. Well, not so much claustrophobic really. He always said the air felt stale and whether through a window or a door, Murdock would look for fresh air. That thought coming to him bothered Face. Imagining that closed room they'd found Murdock in and how much torture just the simple denial of a window to the outside must have been to his friend. Taking a shaky breath, Face forced his mind back to the present.

"I'd say you're right, Hannibal. Doesn't look like he was planning on being out long. His jacket's missing, but his hat and shoes are still here."

"He may be close. You stay here, Face. And keep the lights on so that Murdock knows someone's up. Oh, and remind me to kick his ass for not knocking to get back in."

Face smirked slightly at that, then reached over for his car keys and tossed them to Hannibal. They both winced slightly as the sound of rain falling grew louder.

"Will do. Should I wake B.A. up?"

"No. Not yet. B.A. has the van keys - you had the car keys. How far could he have gone?"


	3. Chapter 3

**Part III**

Heading out into the rain, Hannibal pulled his jacket around himself closer. A cold rain. Figured. Still, he went around the building, looked in the lounge area and anywhere else he thought Murdock might have gone to get out of the weather. No luck. Looking to his watch, he grimaced. The search had taken about half an hour and there was no telling how long the captain had been gone before it was noticed.

Feeling that time was getting away from him, Hannibal headed for Face's car. The engine purred to life smoothly, but now he had another dilemma - which way? Pushing his wet hair away from his forehead, the colonel debated and finally decided to go in the direction away from what passed for civilization here. If Murdock's demons were chasing him, he'd be trying to get further from other people, not closer.

Not that he could blame Murdock in the least. It seemed like the man had a target instead of a tiger painted on the back of his jacket lately. He had been kidnapped when he was mistaken for B.A. (Hannibal **still** couldn't believe anyone could have been that stupid), another idiot drugged Face and the hallucinations had made him break Murdock's nose, then the van blew up with Murdock and B.A. inside, then Decker had trapped and held him for six weeks in a nightmarish hellhole and to top it off, the man had accidentally stumbled across a kidnap plot. Murdock wasn't physically back to full after all of that - mentally? Who knew about mentally? There had been moments when he'd seen Murdock with the kids or with Bethany that Hannibal could easily have made himself believe that the pilot was fine. Maybe Murdock was the sane one and the rest of them were the ones that could use a little help occasionally from invisible dogs. Hell, Hannibal had seen far worse coping mechanisms in his day than Billy.

_Come on, Powers That Be – cut our boy some slack._

The flash of lightning almost immediately followed by thunder that shook the car didn't seem to be a very encouraging answer to Hannibal. He had to drive slowly. With the downpour, it was hard enough to see the road, let alone anyone that might be on the side of it. He started to turn around, but changed his mind. Half a mile more. If he hadn't spotted Murdock by then, surely he must have driven right past him or the captain had gone in a different direction.

Just as the odometer told him that he'd gone that extra half a mile and stopped to see about turning around, it seemed that the Powers That Be had finally decided to answer Hannibal, though somewhat belatedly. The rain slacked and his range of vision increased dramatically. And just beyond the reach of his headlights, he could have sworn he saw movement.

Urging the car a little further, the lights caught the tiger. Hannibal pulled up a little further. Definitely Murdock but he didn't seem to be noticing the car beside him. He was about as wet as a human being could possibly get.

Rolling down the window, Hannibal spoke gently, but firmly.

"Murdock - son. Come on. Get into the car and let's go back."

Wherever Murdock's mind had been, it hadn't been on the side of this road and when Hannibal's mind brought him snapping back like a high-tension bungee cord, he yelped as if Hannibal had appeared out of nowhere. After that initial shock, his face fell mournfully.

"I woke you, didn't I? I didn't mean to. Honest. I tried to keep quiet so you guys could sleep."

"Easy, Captain. You didn't wake anyone. The storm did that. Now come on and climb in."

Murdock looked at himself, then looked at the car and just shook his head.

"I can walk back, Hannibal. Wet as I am, I'd ruin Face's car and then he'd be mad at me."

"You're freezing, Murdock. I can see you shivering from here. Besides, you know how I got these keys? Face heard the storm and he tossed them to me. That doesn't sound that a guy that's going to be mad at you to me, son. Sounds more like a worried friend that's not going to rest again until he's sure you're alright. Get in. We'll dry his car out for him later."

Hesitating again for a moment longer, Murdock tried to shake off some of the excess water from himself before making his way over to the passenger side. He still felt horribly guilty, but the Colonel was right. He was cold, tired and his feet were achy from walking without shoes.

"We'll get you dry and warm soon. Why did you go out walking in the storm?"

"Well, it wasn't storming when I started walking. I - I just needed air. You know."

"Yeah. I know. Nightmare?"

Sighing, Murdock sank further into the seat.

"I was back in that room again."

Hannibal didn't have to ask which room. Damn Decker. He'd actually created a place that had supplanted the actual POW camp in Murdock's mind. The last thing that man had needed was more bad memories in his head.

"Why does my brain do this to me? Why can't I dream about you guys or Momma or Dawn or Bethany or – or **any**thing pleasant?"

"I wish I could answer that, son. But you know you don't have to keep all that stuff to yourself. You could talk to us about it."

There was another hesitation that gave Hannibal pause. Murdock was an odd combination of lucid and open right now. It made him ache a bit when he remembered the first time he'd ever met Murdock. He'd almost wanted to throttle the man for being so non-stop upbeat and cheerful in the face of everything that was going on over there. But the few things that Murdock took seriously, he took very seriously. And damned if those few things weren't what broke the man. He had a feeling it was one of those things now that had caused the hesitation. Murdock's next words proved him right.

"No. No, I couldn't, sir. You guys have your own nightmares. None of you need mine added in."


	4. Chapter 4

**Part IV**

Hannibal didn't know the right way to go about answering that. In the back of his mind, he knew that saying the wrong thing - or even the right thing the wrong way - might make Murdock close off even more. But he had to say something because Murdock would read the silence as affirmation of needing to keep things to himself.

He took a glance at the shivering man next to him. Murdock tended to seem so young to him, but speaking strictly by physical age, Hannibal knew that he was the only one on the team older than Murdock. Taking a deep breath, he knew he had to start talking, right or wrong.

"Murdock? If B.A. was shot in the leg, would you leave him to get by on it as best he could or give him a hand with walking?'

He didn't have to turn his head to know that Murdock's eyes were wide with disbelief and staring at him. The pilot's tone was hurt.

"What kind of a question is that? I'd never leave him - hell, I'd never leave any of you guys to fend for yourselves. I thought you knew me better than that."

"Easy, Captain. Yes - I know you better than that. Do you know us better than that?"

"I - yes. I do - but - I get the feeling you're trying to make a point, Hannibal, but I don't know what it is."

Hannibal's voice was firm, but the compassionate undertone kept it from being harsh.

"Physical pain - mental pain. Pain is pain, Captain. Like helping out one of us when we're hurt - you can't take away the pain, but being there for us eases it. Makes bearing it more tolerable. I've seen how you look when we get injured. It hurts you. Well, seeing you in pain does the same thing to us, son. We can't make it go away, but let us help you bear it the way that you help us. Otherwise, you're just making us stand there and watch it happen without being able to do anything. And you know how bad that feels."

As Murdock closed his eyes in thought, Hannibal adjusted the heat in the car. It was uncomfortable to him, but the chills shaking Murdock's body were starting to cause him real concern. Finally Murdock spoke.

"I'll try, Colonel. It's - I'm like Face that way. We both grew up sort of having to mostly take care of ourselves. Any time I've found myself under someone else's power, well - it's never been a good experience. But I do trust you and the guys. I'm - I just don't know how to talk about stuff like this. No practice at it."

The way Murdock phrased that held Hannibal attention. Not under someone else's care - under someone else's power. That told him a lot about the sort of people that were supposed to have been taking care of his man during the times he couldn't take care of himself for whatever reason. No wonder he and Face were so tight. The wonder was that either man could trust anyone else at all. It was both humbling and daunting to know that both of them looked up to him as more than a commanding officer.

"I know it will take time, but it will never happen if you don't start. I won't encourage you to have a heart-to-heart with B.A. - not because he wouldn't understand, but because he sucks at expressing his feelings himself and that makes him get blustry. But Face and I? We may not be so hot at it ourselves, but we want to help. At least let us try."

"I will. Mind if I dry off first though, sir?"

A glance to the side showed him what the tone had told him - Murdock was grinning. Still shivering, but grinning. Thankfully, the hotel was in sight now.

"First order of business is getting you inside and warm, Captain. I think I even see Face waiting at the door. I'll drop you off there and then go park."

The relief Face felt at seeing Murdock was plainly evident as he moved to help Murdock out of the passenger seat. True, he did give one small despairing glance to the condition of the car seats, but that was there and gone in a second before full attention was trained on getting Murdock inside. Feeling the tremors running through his friend, he guided the pilot straight to the bathroom.

"Shower time, buddy."

Murdock stared at Face for a second, then started laughing.

"You mean I'm not wet enough for you already, Faceman?"

"Oh, you're plenty wet, pal. But you're also cold and I figure the quickest way from wet and cold to wet and warm is a hot shower."

"Oh. Well I guess that makes sense. We'll leave the tiger out of it though. He's not too keen on showers."

Pausing to strip out of his faithful jacket, Murdock tried not to shake too much as he hung it from the hook on the back of the bathroom door. Face was getting the temperature in the shower adjusted when there was a light rap on the door followed by Hannibal joining them. He and Face both gave Murdock a hand climbing into the shower tub.

Company in the bathroom didn't phase Murdock one bit. Military life tended to stomp any notions of privacy out of a person in short order and what little remained had been obliterated in the VA hospital. It took longer than either Hannibal or Face cared for before the shudders began to calm under the very warm water, but neither of them commented on it. They just helped Murdock strip out of the wet clothing, dumping it all into the sink to deal with later. Some time during the procedure, Murdock began singing.

"We're merrily, merrily, merrily, merrily, merrily on our way to noooooowhere in particular."

Chuckling, Hannibal reached for the towels.

"Alright, Captain - just one more chorus and then let's get you dried off and back into bed."

Once Murdock was resettled into the bed in a pair of shorts and a t-shirt, Hannibal gathered the wet clothes and pajamas and headed for the hotel's laundry room. He was too keyed up to go straight back to sleep any way, so he figured he might as well take care of making sure Murdock had something dry to put on in the morning.

Face was feeling fairly wide awake as well, but settled down next to Murdock to help him get back to sleep. Between the nightmare, the long walk and the cold, it was pretty plain that he was flat out exhausted.

"Face?"

"Yeh, Murdock?"

"I'm sorry."

"For what?"

"Your car. Worrying you. You know. Everything."

"My car will be fine, buddy. So will I. We're supposed to worry about each other. You're my best friend."

He could feel a little of the tension leave Murdock's body as he rubbed his back.

"We can talk tomorrow, buddy. Get some sleep. You're not alone."

Murdock gave a little yawn and snuggled down more under the blankets.

"You know what, Face? I think those are just about the nicest three words I ever heard."


	5. Chapter 5

**Part V**

Coming out of the room he was sharing with his mother, B.A. was a little surprised to find that the rest of the team didn't seem to be up yet. Hannibal had been an early riser the entire time B.A. had known him and Murdock also tended to be up with the sun.

He froze mid-stretch as he suddenly noticed Face's car wasn't where it had been last night. A moment's visual searching found the car, but there had been a storm and it was threatening to start up again. Why would they have gone out in that to move Face's Corvette?

Frowning, B.A. moved over to the door of the other room and tapped on it. Hannibal opening the door in clothes that looked slept in confirmed to the Sergeant that there had to have been a problem last night. A glance showed him that Face and Murdock were still asleep. The Colonel made sure he had the room key, then stepped outside to join B.A., letting the door close quietly behind him.

"Looks like you had a rough night. Storm trigger a nightmare again?"

"No. I think the nightmare came first this time, B.A. Personally, I think he was holding it together while Dawn was still with us and once he relaxed his guard, it snuck up on him. He said he felt like he was back in Decker's 'palace' again. Damn that man."

"It'll work out, Hannibal. Murdock was fine around the kids and around that lady friend of his too. Say, why did Face move his car last night? Thought something bad had happened for a minute when I didn't spot it where it had been."

"Murdock went out for air and locked himself out of the room. Then he apparently decided to go for a walk instead of waking any of us and got caught in the storm. Face let me use the car to find him and bring him back."

"Crazy fool stunt. He alright?"

"I'm not sure - he was pretty damn soaked and cold by the time I found him. I need to check on him, but I hate to wake him. He was exhausted."

"Think we need to stay here another day? If sleep is all he needs, he can do that in the back of the van."

"I think we can travel. Your mother's anxious to get back home, I know. Life on the road's rough when you aren't used to it."

"Yeah. She's looking forward to her own bed again. Come on, she's gonna be wondering where we all are. We're normally having breakfast by this time."

Nodding, Hannibal unlocked the door and they both went inside. Face was already stirring, Murdock was totally submerged under the blankets. In a move as automatic as a yawn, Face reached out to check on his friend. The frown forming drew B.A.'s attention immediately.

"How's Murdock, Face?"

"He feels pretty warm, but then again, he's been burrowed under the sheets. He doesn't look flushed, so that may be it."

B.A. peeled back the bedding and gave Murdock a light shake.

"Time to wake up, Fool. Momma's gettin' ready for breakfast so you need to get dressed."

Murdock's breathing rating increased and even though he was obviously not even close to fully awake, he shrank back from B.A.'s touch.

"Khong co - xin."

All three men winced in near unison, then a light knock sounded at the door. Mother Baracas was smiling until she took in the way Hannibal was looking when he opened the door. Without a word, she gave him a pat and went on in. B.A. and Face exchanged looks, but she just shooed the two of them put of her way and went straight over to the bed. What she said made her son's jaw come near to hitting the floor.

"Be? Thuc day. Me o day. Moi thu deu tot."

Without even opening his eyes, Murdock reached for the sound of her voice and she gathered him to her in a tight embrace. She switched back to English then, speaking to the team who were all staring at her.

"He responds faster to Vietnamese after one of those dreams."

Face was the first one to find his voice.

"You learned Vietnamese?"

Softly laughing, Mother Baracus shook her head.

"Not really. You might not realize it, but there's a large Vietnamese community in Chicago. I found someone to teach me a few phrases after the first couple of nights. My vocabulary is limited to ten phrases."

Running a hand through Murdock's hair, she spoke softly again.

"La ban tinh tao?"

"Co me."

Then, almost like flicking a switch, Murdock seemed to snap fully awake and drew a slightly ragged breath.

"I'm awake now, Mom. Thanks."

Hannibal had an intense desire to kick himself and a glance told him that B.A. and Face were having similar feelings. Why hadn't they thought of that? When she looked at them, their expressions must have been plain to read.

"I'm a mother. I think some ideas just come more naturally to us when it comes to thinking how to soothe our children when they're hurting."

B.A. sat behind his mother, plainly proud that she'd figured out a way to get through to Murdock that had eluded them.

"What did you say to him, Momma?"

"Just told him to wake up, that it was me and that everything is fine. Then I asked him if he was awake now."

"I need to learn that from you."

That got another gentle laugh.

"I don't see why that couldn't be arranged, Scooter. Come on, Baby. Let's get you into some clothes and get some breakfast. You don't need to be skipping any meals."


	6. Chapter 6

**Part VI**

Their first day at home after driving back their vacation was filled with running errands with one of the last being to the Post Office to pick up their respective mail that had been held for them while they were out of town. Bethany was surprised to find a sizable package waiting on her, but smiled when she saw that the return address was from the Japanese Embassy.

Candace was openly curious, so when they arrived back at Candace's house, Bethany took the box inside to open it. It was filled with several lovely items including a Japanese tea set inside of a little wooden crate, a porcelain 'lucky cat' and some sweets. Finding the letter tucked inside of a framed document, she smiled. The Ambassador must have had one of his aides start getting all of this together before they'd even left Disney World.

"What** is **all of this, Beth?"

Passing the framed document over to Candace as an answer, Bethany just opened the envelope and laughed. There were two letters - one was very short and in a childish scawl, decorated with drawings. Frowning slightly at the lack of a direct answer to her question, Candace took the frame and started to read.

_"On behalf of the people of Japan, we wish to extend our deepest thanks for your part in insuring the safety of the son of our Ambassador to your country. Your kindness and your courage will always be remembered."_

Her son had come over and was reading it as well, then looking over the royal-blue stamp from the Embassy that marked the bottom of the document. Candace just handed him the frame as she looked back to Bethany.

"I don't understand - what did you have to do with the Japanese Ambassador?"

"That's what happened in Disney World when I sort of disappeared on you guys. We were requested not to talk about it while we were there to try and keep it out of the news. Murdock saved the son of the Japanese Ambassador from being kidnapped. I wasn't expecting the Ambassador to send anything to me. Really, I didn't do much - Murdock's the one that took the beating keeping Daiki away from them."

Reaching into her travel bag that was still unpacked on the floor, she pulled out her copy of the photo showing herself, Murdock, Dawn and Daiki posed with Goofy.

"That's the young man right there - five years old. Isn't he darling? I couldn't really talk to him much because he only speaks Japanese right now."

Her nephew, Henry, took the picture, frowning. Then he looked to his mother, Candace.

"Hey, mom - if they like him, why did they pay so much for his address?"

Bethany felt her breath catch, looking from her eight year old nephew to her suddenly flushing sister.

"Oh, Candace - what did you do?"

Before Candace even reached the end of her story, Bethany was already grabbing out her address book and running for the phone. No answer. They must still be on the way there. A few screams at her sister, a few phone calls and a quick repacking of her bags saw Bethany on her way to the airport, a ticket to Chicago paid for by some of the funds that her sister had gotten from whoever that man was. And whoever he was, Bethany had the sinking feeling that he had something to do with the men behind the kidnapping attempt.

Sitting back in her airline seat, she just hoped she would be on time to warn them and prevent whatever it was that her sister had helped to set into motion.

In the Windy City, the guys were gathering up Mother Baracus' luggage and souvenirs to haul them up to her apartment. Karen was waiting for them and exchanged a smile with Face. The two of them disappeared once the bags were dropped off - an occurrence that didn't surprise anyone. B.A. began helping his mother get things put away while Murdock volunteered to make a run to the corner store for milk, cereal and bread. Hannibal decided to go with him, both to help carry and to give his legs a good stretch after the long ride.

As they left the building together, Hannibal felt that odd sensation of being watched. A glance around didn't show him anything more than the typical reactions that people who were regulars in a neighborhood had to folks who they hadn't seen before. He wrote that sensation off to that as they went into the small Mom/Pop style store.

Murdock went for the milk while Hannibal was looking over the cereal aisle and called over to Murdock.

"Son? Which brand is it that you prefer?"

Coming over with a gallon of milk in hand, Murdock had just decided that Tony the Tiger would be a good pick when another man came into the area and knocked into him. That didn't seem so odd until Hannibal saw Murdock stiffening out of the corner of his eye. Then he heard the man next to Murdock speaking softly.

"Go ahead and tell your father the situation."

Murdock winced slightly, then complied, speaking softly.

"I have a knife pressed against my back, sir."

The man smirked.

"You have a very formal relationship with your son. I have other men in this store and we are quite prepared to tear it apart if the two of you don't cooperate. Now, unless you want to see your son lose a kidney, put your hands behind your back."

He didn't like it one bit, but Hannibal cooperated. Someone grabbing his wrists? That he expected. The needle sinking into his arm? That was equally parts unexpected and worrisome. Especially as he quickly lost control of his body. The thought passed through his mind that he could appreciate a little better how B.A. felt at times like this.

The men used the threat of harm to Hannibal to make Murdock hold still for an injection as well. It didn't hit him as hard or as fast as it did Hannibal, but he pretended that it did and the men began to talk as if they were both fully out.

"Which Murdock did they want? The father or the son?"

"Hell, for what they're paying, send them both. I'm just glad we can collect now. I was starting to think they were never going to get back to Chicago."

Murdock heard threats being issued to the store owners to keep their noses out of this as he felt himself being lifted and carried out. The random thought that someone really needed to put the milk back in the cooler before it spoiled was the last he had before the drug finally made him pass out.


	7. Chapter 7

**Part VII**

B.A. had been staying busy helping his mother, so when he finally noticed how long Murdock and Hannibal had been gone, he frowned a bit.

"How long does it take two men to pick up milk and bread?"

For her part, Mother Baracus wasn't worried.

"Baby got to know the neighborhood pretty well while he was with me, Bosco. He just likely ran into some friends and lost track of time. Besides, didn't Hannibal say he wanted to walk around some? He might be having Murdock show him around."

"Yeah, I guess you're right, Momma."

He still had an uneasy feeling, but he took a deep breath and told himself he was just being paranoid. So many things had happened lately that he was jumping at shadows. Then again?

"Momma? I think I'm gonna take a walk myself. If those two have got caught up in stuff, I'll bring the groceries back."

"Some things never change. You still don't have a patient bone in that body of yours. Well, go on. You'll just pace if you stay here."

He flashed her a smile.

"I won't be long."

Strolling out, B.A. exchanged pleasantries with the neighbors on his way out, but he was starting to feel more anxious than irritated. Sure, Murdock was easier to distract than a six-year old in an ice cream parlor, but not Hannibal. Hannibal would have gotten the milk and bread back, then taken a walk. He picked up his pace a bit.

He'd known the owners of the corner store since he was a kid himself, so their reaction to him coming in immediately sent up a red flag. They were apologizing about Murdock. As the story tumbled out, B.A. took care to try and stay calm, but his mind was racing. The guys that took Murdock had a pretty lengthy head start by now. Not only that, B.A. couldn't be sure who had him. Could be the guy that they'd prevented from tearing down his mother's apartment building for all he knew for now. And where was Hannibal? Was he already in pursuit somehow? The store owners were still talking overtop of one another, but B.A. was only half-listening as he tried to figure out what he should do next.

"We're sorry, but we were afraid to leave the store and we know that with you, we shouldn't get the police involved. They didn't tell us why they were taking Murdock and his father, but it sounded like it was someone else paying them."

That caught B.A.'s attention.

"Murdock's father?"

"Silver haired man? He was calling him son."

Groaning, B.A. just nodded. That was Hannibal alright. Great. The guys, whoever they were, had both of them. His mother still needed the milk and bread regardless, so he purchased them and headed back home in a hurry. He needed to find where Face had disappeared to and then they needed to figure out where to start looking for the other half of their team.

Murdock's return to consciousness started out slow, but then his body informed him that he was on a plane. That snapped him awake immediately as he panicked about having passed out at the controls. Heart pounding, it took him a minute to orient himself enough to recall that the last he remembered, he was worrying about the milk spoiling. Trying to move wasn't working out too well either. Damn. He hated restraints.

~The son is awake. The father is still out.~

Japanese. Oh crap. Father? Murdock was starting to wonder if he'd hit his head somewhere in the middle of all of this. Okay. He took a breath and decided that for now, it might be just as well not to acknowledge that he could understand Japanese. He just blinked at them. He didn't have to pretend to be confused because, well, he was.

One of the men came closer, Murdock's pocket watch in his hand. He turned it so that the inscription was facing Murdock.

"H.M.?"

Looking over to Hannibal, Murdock's mental gears were racing. They were in the air. If they didn't think Hannibal was actually his father, would they do something? Tossing an unconscious guy out of a moving aircraft? Not good.

"That's dad's. He gave it to me. H.M. - Hannibal Murdock."

The man looked over to the still figure of Hannibal, then back to Murdock.

"And your name?"

"Murdock Murdock."

Okay - drugs still clouding the brain. Bad. Very bad. Oh well. Too late to change that.

"Your first name and last name are the same?"

Time for him to play the hand he accidently dealt himself. Murdock looked a bit embarrassed - again, he didn't have to fake that,

"Dad was a little on the tipsy side when they went to fill out the certificate. It was all he could come up with at the time."

The man just snorted and double checked the tightness of the restraints. Murdock was paying more attention to Hannibal. He really needed to talk with Hannibal as soon as he came to or their stories might not match. And he couldn't imagine that would end well.

Unfortunately the man wasn't appearing to be too accommodating to what Murdock wanted and called over another man who had a hypodermic needle in hand. Having no way to avoid the shot, Murdock just grimaced as it was administered.

As it started to take effect, his thoughts, oddly enough, went back to Disney World. It was the first time he could remember the Small World song striking him as being slightly annoying.


	8. Chapter 8

**Part VIII**

Hannibal woke up slowly, pretty much expecting to be seeing the man that he'd last seen holding a knife to Murdock. Instead he came to realize he was sitting in what seemed to be a first-class variety airline seat. Might have actually been fairly comfortable except for the restraints keeping him in position. The man leaning casually against the seat ahead of his was dressed more as a businessman than a thug. To be more precise, a Japanese businessman, who seemed to be watching Hannibal's return to wakefulness with a bemused air.

"So, you were actually drunk enough to name your son Murdock Murdock?"

Having absolutely no clue what the man was talking about, Hannibal hoped his hesitation would just be read as the drugs still slowing his actions. As confusing as that sounded, it had to have come from the Captain, so Hannibal decided to go along with it and gave a small shrug, which was about all his restraints allowed.

"Would you believe that it sounded good to me at the time?"

The man just chuckled, looking over what Hannibal recognized as Murdock's pocket watch that his grandfather had given him.

"Well, I suppose it cannot be said that your own father did much better. Hannibal Murdock seems an odd name even by Western standards."

Hannibal Murdock? Well, as one of the British soldiers he had gotten drunk with once used to say, in for a penny, in for a pound.

"What can I say? I guess Dad and I both should have waited until after the certificates were filed to celebrate the births with a few rounds at the bar."

Hannibal's searching eyes finally found where Murdock was - equally restrained, but unnaturally still. Murdock was never still, even when asleep. It didn't take any acting ability at all for him to play the concerned father.

"What's wrong with my son?"

"Nothing at all. He just woke before you did and has already been resedated. As you will be shortly. I wanted to take measure of the two of you first. You know, he did the same after he came to enough to be aware. Looked around until he found you."

Hannibal kept his eye on Murdock just a bit longer, then moved his gaze back to the man in front of him.

"So - taking our measure? Your judgment?"

A very small smile formed - one more wry than amused.

"I can see how you and your son managed to be on the opposite side to Sasugu Nobu. Please understand that statement is hardly meant as an insult."

From the expression on Hannibal's face, he could tell that the name didn't mean anything to the silver-haired man.

"You possibly know him better as the former Second Secretary to the Ambassador. And yes, he is the reason the two of you have found yourselves in the situation you are now in. Or, more precisely, his father is the reason."

He turned his head briefly to look at Murdock.

"I would venture to say, Hannibal Murdock, that you have more to be proud of in your son that he has in his."

"I'm proud of all my sons."

"You have others? You are a fortunate man. Current situation aside, of course."

"Of course. Doesn't really sound like you care a whole lot for Nobu yourself."

"In my country, the last name is said first."

"I know that, but thanks for the lesson."

"Then you should also know that calling him by his first name is considered to be disrespectful."

"I do know that. I really can't muster up any respect for a so-called man that tries to make use of a five year old child as a stepping stone."

"Then you were the one that rescued the boy?"

"No. That was him. Though I'd like to think that any of mine would have reacted in the same way."

"I have to say that your son might resemble you in spirit, but his features and yours have little in common."

"Well, to be perfectly honest, he takes his looks more from his mother than from me."

The man just nodded to himself as if filing things away in his mind. A brief gesture summoned over a man to give Hannibal another shot. He fought against the restraints to try and prevent it, for all the good it did. Which was no good at all.

By the time B.A. finally found where Karen and Face had disappeared to, he'd calmed down from wanting to scream at Face. This wasn't Face's fault. If there was blame for them, it was about equal for them both. But the real people deserving both the blame and the pounding due to come with it? That distinction belonged to the ones that had taken Hannibal and Murdock. Not to mention whoever they were working for. Whoever was footing the bills deserved two beatings. And B.A. hoped to make sure they collected.

Still, even though he was calmer than he had been, that didn't mean B.A. wasn't in his 'bull in a china shop' mode. He burst in on the couple without any warning. As soon as he figured out what he'd broken in on, B.A. was at least considerate enougn to avert his eyes.

"Sorry, Karen. Face, we got to get moving. Hannibal and Murdock have both been taken."

Eyes large, Face started grabbing clothes.

"Huh? What? When? Where? Who? How?"

B.A. couldn't help but smirk despite the situation as Face rattled off questions in rapid succession.

"What is they were taken. When was not too long after we got here to start with. Where was at the corner market that Momma gets her milk and such at. Who? No clue there. How? Don't really know that either, but the store keeper says both of them were limp when they were carried out and he didn't see any blood even though he heard talk of a knife.

The entire time B.A. was speaking, Face had been dressing rapidly to the point where he gave Karen a brief kiss as he stooped one last time to grab his jacket. He was slipping the jacket on as they headed out the door.

"Do we even have a place to start looking, B.A.? Any descriptions of these guys? Tag number? Car make?"

"Four guys. Not enough other description to separate them from any other big guys in the city. Ain't really a thing solid to go on yet. That's what we've got to find."

"Let's start off with that map in your Mom's place. Then we can start asking questions. Someone had to have seen something. The guys didn't just up and vanish."

"Right. Face? Momma don't know anything's wrong yet. Let me break that to her."

"You got it, big guy."

Pausing just outside of the door to his mother's apartment, B.A. took a deep breath and opened it.

"Bosco? Is that you?"

"Yeah, it's me, Momma. Listen -"

"There's no time, sweetie. You need to go find Baby right now. There's trouble."

Face and B.A. exchanged glances as they headed on in.

"Yeah, there's trouble alright, Momma, but how did you know?"

That was when they saw Bethany sitting next to Mother Baracus, holding hands with the older woman and looking upset.

"Faceman? B.A.? I'm afraid that my sister did something terrible."


	9. Chapter 9

**Part IX**

This time as the drugs wore off, Murdock remembered that they were in a plane that he wasn't the pilot of and managed not to draw attention to himself. He needed information to work with and he couldn't get it if they just kept him drugged.

The main thing that bothered him about pretending to still be out was not being able to check on Hannibal. That was almost such a knee-jerk reaction that he had to keep reminding himself not to do it. Instead he made himself take slow, regular breaths and listened carefully while trying to keep the crazy down.

That last part wasn't easy either, but he had to get the Colonel out of this. Hannibal was only here because he'd been with him. To Murdock, that made anything bad happening to Hannibal his fault. The weight of that helped him keep down the urge to start singing The Three Caballeros.

Then he heard what he'd been hoping for. Coordinates.

"Chikazuite Kita 13°29.03' – Higashi 144°47.83 – wareware wa chakuriku shimasu 28 bun."

It was all Murdock could do to keep from smiling. He knew where they were about to land. Hell, he knew it very well. He was more than a little shocked though. That meant he'd been out far longer than he'd suspected. Even if the flight had been non-stop, which he doubted, it would have taken them at least fifteen hours to get to where they were now.

Even better, they were talking about a one day layover before heading on the rest of the way to Japan. And they weren't seeming to be terribly concerned about keeping track of he and Hannibal on the small island. He had to bite back another smile at that. True, the island was only about 30 miles long, but if you knew what you were doing, that was plenty of territory to hide in. Especially when you were talking about tropical climate and ridiculously thick plant growth. These guys apparently didn't know their history very well. A Japanese soldier had evaded getting caught for around 28 years there following World War II.

Just a little over twenty-five minutes. Murdock tried to force himself to relax. Hannibal might not be able to help himself, so if it came down to it, Murdock had to be ready to act for both of them.

B.A. was scowling out of one of the viewing areas at the airport. He was mad at Face for suggesting he might want to remain in Chicago with his mother and he was mad at himself for nearly taking his teammate's head off. Not to mention the prospect of the flight ahead. And not a short flight either. They'd be in the air for the better part of a day. No getting around that. There was really no other way to get where they had to go to get Hannibal and Murdock back. And come Hell, high water or an airplane, they were going to get their teammates back.

About ten feet away, Face was also looking outward as he ran through ways that the outcome might have been changed if he'd done something differently. Every scenario he came up with only changed who was taken but didn't prevent it. That was the problem with the whole thing. They had gone into the area not knowing that there was an ambush ready. The only thing that could have altered things was knowledge that they hadn't had until Bethany had arrived. She'd tried to call, but Murdock had given her Mother Baracus' home number, following the team's rule of not handing out the van's number. Murdock had reasoned that if it was an emergency, Mother Baracus would have called the van. Being family, of course, she did have the number.

Not far away, Bethany was shifting her gaze periodically from B.A. to Faceman. The two men seemed equally unapproachable. Part of her wondered what she was doing. She was about to fly half-way around the world to try and help a man she'd only known for a very short time.

The rest of her knew exactly what she was doing. The sense of injustice she felt about what was happening to Murdock was deep. All he had done was protect a child. Forget everything else that was around that event and that was exactly what it all came down to. She might not know a lot of details about Murdock, but she was quite willing to bet that he wouldn't have cared one way or the other about the politics. It didn't matter whether the Second Secretary had been after money, power or just hated kids – Murdock would have stepped in regardless, she was certain.

Some noise drew her eye and she was the first to see the Ambassador. She rose immediately and that drew the attention of both B.A. and Face. All of them were more than a little surprised. She knew she'd been expecting him to send one of his staff, not to come himself. The Ambassador noted their expressions and read what they meant correctly.

"Your friend came to the aid of my son without knowing anything about him. How could I, knowing Murdock, do less for him than he did for Daiki? Come. By the time we get to the plane, they will have it refueled. We can get some sleep on the way. Our first fuel stop will be in Los Angeles, then Hawaii and then Guam before we reach Japan."

Remembering one of the things that Murdock had told her while they were watching the sky from the roof of a rental car, Bethany took a deep breath and moved over to B.A. Once she saw him giving her a curious look, she spoke softly.

"I've never flown across an ocean before. I'm a little nervous. Would you mind if I sat next to you? I'd feel a lot safer."

B.A. might not have had trouble admitting being afraid of flying to his teammates, but admitting it to this little slip of a woman? That wasn't happening. Instead, he just patted her shoulder.

"Sure. But you'll be fine. You need to get over that sort of thing any way if you're gonna be hangin' around Murdock. He'd fly instead of walk if he was able."


	10. Chapter 10

**Part X**

The plane was descending and from overhearing the chatter, Murdock now knew their exact landing location. The airstrip that they were headed toward was one that officially had been closed for years - a World War II base that had been shut down for financial reasons. Murdock knew the strip due to the helicopter pad there that he'd made use of himself in years past.

Officially closed or not, training still happened there. It was officially military land though, so someone had called in a favor to make use of this area. It also explained to his mind why they would be stopping for longer than usual. Not only did the pilot need rest, they were going to need to bring fuel in. Unless things had changed since his last visit, they didn't store fuel there. He doubted anyone had refurbished the old storage tanks. Not for training missions when all the military planes had to do is take a minute long hop to either the north or south to one of the still active military bases.

Murdock really wished he could take the chance and check on Hannibal, but Murdock knew that if he let them know that he was awake, he would screw what might be their only chance to get out of this. So he remained limp and unresponsive. He was glad he wasn't hooked up to any sort of monitor because his heart beat increased as the plane touched down and gradually came to a stop.

The Japanese was hard for even him to follow just because so many of them were talking all at once. Murdock had to fight his impulses again when he heard one of them say that his 'dad' was showing signs of waking. The guy with the syringes was advising them not to inject Hannibal again so soon. After a few voices were raised loudly, it was decided to go with the medical advice. It wasn't as if anyone would be close enough to hear the man even if he did decide to raise a stink. And the guard was given permission to gag the man if he got too bothersome.

Then came the best news Murdock could have heard. They weren't being thought of as possibly dangerous men. One guard was going to remain on the plane and one more on the outside while the rest of them were going to nearby Dededo for food and rest. Murdock waited until everyone else had left before pretending to wake - and needing to go to the bathroom. After all the time in the air, he didn't have to pretend on that last one.

The guard had limited command of English and Murdock decided that he needed to keep his knowledge of Japanese a secret. Still he was finally able to get through to the guard what he needed and was rewarded by being released from his seat. The upper body restraint was left on, but he'd work around that.

Not knowing that Murdock was anything but a average guy that happened to piss off a rich guy, the guard wasn't exactly over vigilant. Murdock didn't try anything on the way to the bathroom. All things considered, he'd rather fight with an empty bladder since he didn't have a change of clothes with him.

The guard looked disgruntled enough about having to deal with Murdock's pants and took himself back outside of the toliet area to wait. The straps that the man had loosened to take care of getting Murdock's pants down gave him just enough leeway to work himself loose. When the man came back to check on him, Murdock struck hard and fast - he didn't want to risk the outside guard getting alerted to any problems.

As he hurried over to where Hannibal was restrained, he saw Hannibal's head turn and their eyes met. Okay, the Colonel's eyes were still a touch glassy, but nothing too extreme. Besides, they needed to make their move before the others returned. Working as quickly as he could, Murdock freed Hannibal then drug their guard to the seat and used the restraints on him.

"How's your head, sir?'

"Fairly clear. I think. Hannibal Murdock?"

"They seem to have gotten the idea we were related. I didn't want to correct them when we were flying over ocean with no land in sight."

"Probably a very good idea, son. Give me a rundown?"

"We're on Guam currently. Old mostly abandoned airstrip. Still used for training, but officially closed. There's one more guard on the outside, everyone else departed for the nearest town. No idea if any of them are coming back tonight or if they'll stay gone until morning."

Murdock offered the guard's gun to Hannibal, who took it and felt a little better about not being quite so defenseless.

"Guam. Small island, as I recall."

"Yessir. One problem for us is the large military presence on the island. Another is that we're a long way from the continental U.S.."

"First things first, Captain. Are we both in agreement that letting these men get us all the way to Japan is a very bad idea?"

"I'd have to say the odds of us disappearing for good would go up considerably, Colonel."

"Then let's start by getting the hell off of this plane and we'll take the rest as it comes."

The outer guard wasn't expecting trouble and it wasn't long before he was making use of Murdock's former restraints.

"Fair trade, muchacho - you get those, I get your gun."

The two men quickly raided the plane for anything that might come in handy including all the food they could locate. They didn't waste much time searching since they didn't want to still be around if any of the others returned. Murdock did take an extra five minutes to do a little sabotage work on the cockpit. Just in case the others did manage to recapture them, he didn't want them to be able to take off immediately.

It was raining when they left the plane. Murdock wished they had a vehicle, but then again, there were a lot of things he could've wished for.

"I have an old friend that settled down with a lovely Chamorro lass. If they haven't moved on, they used to live in Yigo. It's at least a place to shoot for, sir."

"Lead the way, Captain. What have we got to lose?"

Considering how his year had been going so far, Murdock wisely decided not to answer that.


	11. Chapter 11

**Part XI  
><strong>  
>As Murdock led Hannibal away from the plane, he was already trying to think of their best options. Even though the rain was light at the moment, it was steady and they were getting soaked to the bone. Fortunately, the weather was warm, but that didn't make being wet less miserable. Especially as Murdock knew there wasn't much chance of getting dry again anytime in the near future.<p>

Even still groggy from the drugs, Hannibal could sense Murdock's hesitation.

"What's the problem, son?"

"Sorry, sir. Just thinking that we're bound to run into problems any way that we go. While my buddy is, or at least was, in Yigo? Anderson Air Force Base is there as well, so we might run into folks that we'd rather not. Even if we still go there, the straight route is less than three miles, but that route would also mean going through the Boonies. We could take the route that sticks by the road, but that would make the trip over twice as long. Plus the problems of being spotted by unfriendlies would increase."

"The Boonies?"

"Nickname for the forests here, Colonel."

Being back in a place where he'd spent service time had Murdock's head partially back in his military days. Taking a deep breath, he was pleased to notice that the men hadn't taken his watch – which had a compass feature. Even with the compass though, he felt a little overwhelmed.

"Murdock?"

"It's just – well, it's been a lot of years since I've actually been here, sir."

Hannibal laid his hand on Murdock's shoulder.

"Any experience you have here is more than what I do. Indecision is our enemy – we know we're as good as dead if we stay. Make your best judgment call and we'll go with it – no second guessing. I trust you."

Murdock swallowed hard, looked back at Hannibal, then took his hand. Consulting one more time with his compass, he led them through the rain, past the remaining fencing and into the beginnings of a patch of forest. Hannibal hadn't seen such thick growth since Vietnam, but it quickly became denser than any forest he'd been in before. Only a few minutes after beginning to make their way in, there was nothing overhead but a solid canopy of plants.

The darkness was deepening with every step and Murdock just flashed Hannibal a grin that he could barely see.

"Welcome to the Boonies, Colonel. Let's see if we can find a semi-dry spot to rest and let you get the rest of the drugs out of your system."

"Good idea, but we haven't been moving long. What if they try to follow us?"

"Trust me on this one, sir. Trying to follow us and finding us in here are two very different things. I was here when they lost an airman for a few days. Guy was never too far from the road, but he couldn't find his way back out. Very easy to get turned around in here."

Hannibal took a look at one of the trees – which looked pretty much like all the others.

"I think I can see why. It would be different if you could see the sky."

Hannibal stumbled a little and Murdock reached out to steady him. He had made up his mind though and soon was directing Hannibal to sit and handed him one of the blankets they'd salvaged from the plane. Murdock double checked his gun and settled down nearby before looking back to Hannibal.

"Get some rest, Colonel. I've got first watch."

When it looked like Hannibal was going to argue, Murdock just raised his hand.

"You've got more drugs in your system than I do at the moment, sir. And it isn't safe for us both to sleep at the same time."

Hannibal couldn't disagree with that, so he wrapped himself in the blanket and curled up to try and get some rest.

In Los Angeles, the Ambassador's plane was refueling before making the flight to Hawaii. They would refuel there again before continuing to Guam. All together, they were still around 15 hours from the spot that Hannibal and Murdock were supposed to currently be. The Ambassador had been able to determine that the only plane that could have been the one taking them had arrived on Guam and hadn't left yet so far as could be determined. But there was plenty of time for something to happen before the team could get there. Frustrating as it was, they were already getting there as fast as they could.

Face couldn't help pacing, but it wasn't like that was helping them get there any quicker. The odds were against the plane still being in Guam by the time that they got there themselves and he knew it. There was a chance that the Ambassador could have contacted officials there and tried to keep the plane on the ground, but that might make them decide to do something extreme to Murdock and Hannibal. So far as they knew, at the moment, the plane had no idea that they were being tracked. If they could keep it that way, there might be a better chance of getting their teammates back without too much damage.

Bethany was sitting next to B.A., watching him pace. Part of her wanted to comfort him, but anything she might say would be empty. Especially since her sister had helped cause this situation. Of course, the men might have eventually found where the team was, but not so soon. If it had taken longer, the team might have heard about being looked for and not been caught so off-guard.

It was a relief to all of them when it was time to leave again. At least being in route gave the illusion of doing something. Knowing the length of the flight ahead, B.A. even willingly took a light sedative to help him to sleep on the way to Hawaii.

Face looked out of the window by his seat after takeoff. _Hannibal and Murdock are resourceful. If there's any opening, they'll take it. _With that thought in mind, he closed his eyes. And crossed his fingers.


	12. Chapter 12

**Part XII**

When the Japanese group returned to the plane, the first indication that everything was not as it was supposed to be was the absence of the guard outside of the plane. Still, none of them thought too much about that. The man might simply be making use of the bathroom onboard.

That thought was thrown to the winds when they found both of the guards had been left in the place of their captives. The head man didn't waste time releasing them. He immediately began firing questions at them in Japanese. His voice was commanding, but didn't hold anger. Just urgency.

_"Who came here? Who knew that they were here and rescued them?"_

The two guards managed to exchange looks and the one who had been the outside guard spoke up.

_"No-one came, Kondo-san."_

The silence was total for a minute.

_"We left the two of you to watch over two drugged and restrained men and __**they**__ overpowered you?"_

The outside guard looked miserable but answered him.

_"I - have no excuses, Kondo-san. I was watching the area to make sure no-one approached the plane, but I did not think to guard against an attack from inside the plane."_

Kondo gave a short nod, pacing up the aisle briefly before turning without warning - a small pistol in his hand. He pulled the trigger and the inside guard jerked in the seat as the bullet went between his eyes.

_"You should not have had to worry about an attack from here. That was his job and he was obviously incompetent at it. See that you do not disappoint me with your own performance again."_

Putting his gun back away, Kondo suddenly looked like a Japanese businessman again. Not that any of the men around him were foolish enough to treat him as one. They just waited quietly for their instructions.

_"They could not have gotten far. Find them. You two. Take the body and throw it into the forest."_

The only one he exempted from the search was the pilot and even then, only because someone had to supervise the fuel tanks being refilled. Frowning, Kondo watched as his orders began to be carried out. Whoever this Murdock father and son team were, they were not just average citizens. This job was only agreed to so that he could remove himself from obligations made by his father to the Sasugu clan. He was regretting it more by the minute.

Not that far away, Murdock was very damp and shivering. Sun was probably up by now - yes, it was. They weren't deep enough yet that it didn't make at least a little difference. The grey light was a little paler grey. It made it a little easier for him to check on Hannibal. He'd added the second blanket over Hannibal a couple of hours back.

The Colonel still hadn't woken up, which was starting to bother Murdock. He calmed himself with the thought that Hannibal had had at least two doses of a very strong sedative - possibly more. While Murdock's system was used to drug cocktails, Hannibal's wasn't. Heck, Hannibal even avoided aspirin as much as he could. It wasn't that he didn't take medicine when he needed it, you were just pretty sure that it was something more than what a hot soak would have taken care of when you saw Hannibal reach for a pill bottle.

For his own part, Murdock wasn't feeling too well, but he wasn't about to let that get in the way of taking care of Hannibal. Still, he had to admit, if only to himself, that he was awfully tired. This was the second time this week that he'd gotten soaked and his thin frame was letting him know that it was not appreciated. He still hadn't regained all the weight he'd lost while Decker had him, so maintaining his body heat was trickier than usual. He looked back at the two blankets he had tucked around the Colonel. No, Hannibal needed both of those.

Wrapping his arms around himself, Murdock began to pace and think. They need to contact Chicago. Mom, B.A. and Face must be sick with worry by now. Milk was probably spoiled too. Shaking his head, he tried to put the milk out of his mind. That was the least of their worries. Even if he was able to contact them right this second, the guys could never reach them any faster than tomorrow.

Then Murdock's head jerked up. A noise he faintly caught in the general still of the area had sounded a lot like a gunshot. That was it - time to get further away. And find that telephone.

"Colonel? Hannibal, sir - we've got to move."

Hannibal was still groggy, but he did his best to shake it off at the urgency in Murdock's voice.

"What is it, Captain?"

"Pretty sure I heard a shot from the direction of the plane. They must know we're gone by now. Let's head in deeper and better our odds."

Adrenaline had kicked in, so Hannibal never knew just how much Murdock have been shivering just a few minutes before. He grabbed up the blankets as Murdock consulted the compass.

"You have the compass. Captain. Lead on."

With just a nod of acknowledgment, they started toward the east again.


	13. Chapter 13

**Part XIII**

The Ambassador seemed puzzled but pleased as he came back from making a series of phone calls while they were refueling in Honolulu.

"From what my contacts have been able to determine, the plane is still on Guam. It did not land at the public airport however. I have people trying to check discretely as to where it did land and arranged transportation for us once we arrive. With any luck, perhaps they will still be on the ground when we arrive and we can reach where they are without alerting them prematurely to our arrival."

Bethany glanced out of the window. They had already been flying for a long, long time. Surely they must almost be there? A glance to her watch confirmed that it was going on eleven hours since they left Chicago.

"How much longer will we be in the air?"

"We're a little over half-way there, so around another eight or nine hours, Miss Bethany."

At those words from the Ambassador, Bethany sincerely hoped her mouth didn't drop open. Face just chuckled at her expression while B.A. laid a reassuring hand on her shoulder.

"Ain't nothing. We'll be crossin' the dateline on our way there, so we'll be losin' a day on top of the flight time."

She could recall learning about the International Dateline in school, but never imagined that she'd actually ever cross it. She just gave a glance back to her watch and murmured to herself.

"I'll never get my watch to the right time again."

In the Boonies, Hannibal had no idea how Murdock did it. Oh sure, the Captain had a compass for pointing them in the right general direction, but it seemed like every other step, they were having to go around something. Murdock was also showing an uncanny knack for somehow evading hitting the spider webs in the area whereas Hannibal was becoming convinced that he himself was a magnet for the things. And these weren't wispy webs that just caught insects – these things could tangle up small animals and so weren't quite so simple to disengage from.

The most frustrating aspect for Hannibal is that, if you asked him, he would say he was walking right in Murdock's footsteps and Murdock was taller than Hannibal, so by rights, surely Murdock should have hit all of the webbing before Hannibal. Or at least some of them. After awhile, Hannibal's grumbling was getting verbal. Possibly the only good thing that could have been said about Murdock's recent experiences with Decker was that it hadn't been long since he'd been in hot, humid conditions. Hannibal hadn't been in them for quite some time now and it was showing with his stamina.

"And I though some of the forests in 'Nam were thick."

Murdock stepped carefully over a thick root, ducking at the same time to avoid something Hannibal couldn't make out yet.

"Well, there hasn't been a war here since World War Two, Colonel. Ever since then, the plants had pretty much had their own way except for construction clearing and the occasional monsoon."

Murdock reached up and ran a finger along the stem of an orchid. Its bloom gleamed a dim white in the perpetual gray.

"These here? They aren't really white. Just that enough light doesn't get in here for their color to develop."

"Spent a decent amount of time here in the past, Captain?"

"Yessir. Definitely a flight hub here."

At the sudden silence from Hannibal, Murdock glanced back and noticed the Colonel was frowning.

"So – could you have flown that crate that brought us here?"

"Oh sure. Wings or rotors, I can get them airborne, sir."

The frown turned into something more like a scowl.

"Then mind telling me why you didn't pilot it off of this island instead of us hiking?"

Murdock paused, giving Hannibal a confused look as he bit his lower lip.

"You don't actually know where it is we are, do you, Colonel?"

"Near the Philippines, right?"

"That depends on your point of view. We're close to a four hour flight from the PI. We might not be in the middle of nowhere here, but we're close and the plane hadn't been refueled since Hawaii. Without taking on more fuel, about the only place I could likely have taken us was to an emergency water landing. Not advisable in the middle of the Pacific, sir. Not counting the time it took us to fly to the west coast, it likely took us fifteen hours to get from the west coast to where we are now. We're over six thousand miles from home."

Drawing in a deep breath, Hannibal took all of that in. Like Murdock's earlier realization, he had no idea he'd been out that long.

"Sorry for getting snappy, Captain. We really aren't near anywhere here, are we?"

"Afraid not, sir."

Hannibal sighed. There was no reason Face and B.A. would even think of looking for them here. They were still likely looking for them around Chicago. That would make the most sense and that meant he and Murdock couldn't rely on anyone but each other.

"May as well start moving again, Captain. I don't think we'll run into a taxi in here."

Murdock rechecked their direction and stepped over yet another gnarled root. There was simply no quick way to get through this forest to where they were trying to go.


	14. Chapter 14

**Part XIV**

Sitting in one of the plane seats, Kondo was studying a map of the island. The two men obviously had not followed the road or they surely would have spotted them. The fencing would have kept them from being able to dodge for cover well. Or such was his opinion. But then again? No. He wasan't going to start second guessing himself. He had to start eliminating possibilities. Until the more likely ones were proven wrong, that one would not be reconsidered.

By this point, he was cursing the whole of the Sasugu clan. The way Murdock had been portrayed to him was as a man that had stumbled into Sasugu Nobu's plot and fouled it by refusing to mind his own business. Kondo now suspected that was far from the truth and that things were being attributed to bad luck to aid in saving face for the clan.

Looking to what he knew to be fact, the two men had been both drugged and restrained when they had left the plane last night. Overnight, they had come oujr from under that influence enough to get out of their restraints, overcome two armed guards and escape. Then the younger Murdock's jacket came back to his mind. He really hadn't given the fact that the man was wearing a bomber jacket much consideration earlier. He had noticed many Americans that had no military connections wore military-style jackets for fashion. But if the man actually had been in military? Well, it did not excuse his late employee losing him, but it did make the incident make more sense.

The back of the man's jacket had the name of a Vietnamese city. Running with the assumption that the man was military, he would carry that a step further. Not just formerly in, but a veteran of the Vietnam conflict who was actually in that country. He would likely not balk as many might about going into the thick forests here.

Relooking at the map, he decided to discount them having gone west because that was where he and the others had gone themselves. He also discounted north, simply because that would put them onto a fully-operational Air Force base. If they went that way, he could not recapture them, so why bother looking in that direction?

South was a possibility, but the fence was still good in that direction from what his men could tell. That left east. And east made the most sense to him for another reason as well. If the men had any idea of where they were at (and by this point, he certainly was not going to put that past them), the closest city was Yigo.

Chasing Murdock and his father into that tropical forest was looking less than promising. Kondo called his men back and they all loaded into the car. Drawing a line exactly straight east, he directed his driver to follow the road around to that spot. He'd send his men in there to wait out of sight just inside the forest. If he had guessed right, the pair would come to them. By that point, they would be tired from their walk while his men would be far fresher. Recapturing them should be, as the Americans were prone to say, a piece of cake.

Nowhere near as far away as he would have preferred to be, Murdock could feel himself slowing down. He was tired, but the combination of the warmth, humidity, noises and dim light was already trying to take his brain places that he didn't want it to go, so sleep? No. Just no. Fortunately, the humidity had Hannibal dragging a bit as well, so he hadn't noticed the difference. He found them a semi-dry place to stop and they stopped for a rest, sharing out what food they'd been able to scavenge off the plane and drinking sparingly of the water.

Looking around, Hannibal just shook his head.

"I feel like I'm getting eye strain from trying to see better in this gloom."

"Probably are. Hard not to. We should be over halfway through as well as I can guess. Trouble with going through this thick of a forest. Triples your distance where you're always having to go around something."

"Well, not like we can clear-cut a way through, so we'll have to put up with it."

"We didn't exactly come dressed for this. How are your feet doing?"

"Been better. Could use dry socks, but I didn't pack extra in my pockets."

"Me either, Colonel. Well, sooner we get out of here, sooner we can dry out."

"Sure you don't need to rest some more, Murdock?"

The thought of sleep ran through his head again and he barely hid the shudder from Hannibal.

"Slept too much on the plane, sir. Let's go."


	15. Chapter 15

**Part XV**

By the time the plane started its descent to Guam, Bethany was quite sure she never wanted to ride that long on an airplane without a break again. Two seconds later, she gave an involuntary groan when it dawned on her that it was going to be just as far getting back home again. She gave a glance over to B.A. who, though he looked more than ready for the flight to be over, didn't appear to be as panicked as she'd expected him be.

The prospect of being back on the ground was allowing B.A. to focus on other things now, so the looks Bethany had been giving him finally registered.

"Murdock told you 'bout me and flying, didn't he?"

"Well, yes, but –"

"Ain't no buts. He's right. I'd rather wrestle a shark than fly. But driving to an island ain't an option. Guess it's in my mind, but I can stand it better when there's no way around it."

He went silent, but only for a minute.

"You didn't have to come, you know. Ain't none of us would blame you for something your sister did. And all she did was speed things up."

"I know. But I still felt like I had to. You know?"

"Yeah. I think I do."

Face came over and leaned on one of the nearby seats.

"You know, I never did find out how Murdock described me to -"

There was an announcement over the speakers just then. B.A. and Bethany both smiled at the expression on Face as he was interrupted.

"Please take your seats and buckle your belts. We are starting our final approach for landing."

Down below, Murdock and Hannibal both froze at the high-pitched squealing they heard coming from not too far away. Before Hannibal could say anything one way or another, Murdock was off. Sighing and hoping that the Captain knew what he was doing, Hannibal followed. In this thick growth, getting separated would not be a good thing.

He was just in time to see Murdock snatch something up and then start backing away from something else. Drawing a bit closer, he spotted the snake (at least six feet worth of snake) on the ground - one with a rather large bulge in it's body. A glance to what Murdock was holding told him that the odds were that bulge was a piglet similar to the one the pilot was literally cradling and speaking to. Hell, he was practically cooing at the thing.

"Okay, so you're the little gal that was making all that racket, huh? Guess I can see why. Calm down, little lady. That old snake has eaten enough already."

Hannibal went around the snake that was showing a combination of aggression and listlessness. He attributed that to the creature being too full to really want to move despite the presense of people nearby. His tone as he spoke to Murdock was slightly amused. The piglet was just making soft, snorting noises as it nestled up to Murdock, seemingly quite content.

"Murdock? What are you planning to do with a pig?"

"Well, she's just a little piglet now, sir. Boonie pigs around here can get fairly large and so can their tusks. They tend to be a bit on the mean side too. Speaking of which, I'd bet this little gal's momma isn't too far off and odds are that she's cranky. We'd bet-"

"Stop where you are!"

The piglet stayed quiet in Murdock's arms as he froze in position. Hannibal reached for his own gun, but stopped went two of the four men aimed their weapons at Murdock.

"Put the gun down, Mister Murdock and we won't be forced to shoot your son and his – 'pet'."

It took Hannibal a moment to remember that he was supposed to be Mister Murdock. Then he quickly figured the odds and cursed silently to himself before kneeling enough to lay his gun on the ground. One of the guns swung from Murdock then to cover Hannibal and the man holding that weapon spoke.

"You two – bind the son first."

One man was carrying a length of thick, rough twine and he went behind Murdock as the other man positioned himself in front of the pilot. Scowling, he looked down at the quiet piglet and grabbed it out of Murdock's arms so that they could tie his wrists behind him. That had been the plan any way. Trouble was, no one had consulted the piglet.

The second she was out of Murdock's arms, the piglet began emitting high-pitched squeals that would have been the envy of an air-raid siren. Within seconds of that, all hell broke loose. Murdock lunged after the piglet, sure that the man must be hurting her. The man behind him looped the length of twine over Murdock's head and drew it back against the Captain throat to try and control him. Hannibal noticed all that and more. The more? Murdock had been right. The piglet's mother hadn't been far away. And cranky didn't even begin to cover her mood. Around seventy-five pounds of angry, tusked pork came crashing onto the scene, making a beeline for the man holding her squalling youngster.

While the sow's tusks weren't anywhere near record breaking in length or the size to inspire a trophy, they were more than adequate to rip open the leg of the man. He screamed in pain, but his reaction was a bad one. Instead of dropping the piglet, he clutched it tighter and the small animal went berserk.

At the sight of the enraged pig and the blood, the two with guns shifted their aim to the sow and shot at her. Unfortunately for Murdock, the panic reaction of the man with the twine across his throat was to back up without letting go, effectively cutting down on the amount of air the pilot was able to get. He lost track of who was doing what to who as he found himself having to back blindly to keep the twine from digging deeper into his flesh. Suddenly, he lost balance, ending up on his rump. But he could draw a decent breath again, so his butt forgave him.

"Son? Are you alright? Come on - we need to move."

For his part, Hannibal was amazed at just how much noise a little piglet could make. Especially when she'd been so quiet in Murdock's arms. He'd already taken advantage of the distraction to punch out the man that was half-strangling Murdock. Now they needed to take advantage of the continuing confusion to escape.

It took Murdock a moment to collect himself enough to nod his acknowledgement. As he accepted Hannibal's offered hand to help him back to his feet, he noticed that the Colonel had also managed to retrieve his gun from the ground. But then his attention was caught by something else. There was a break in the plant life up ahead. He could see a road.

Hannibal noticed blood on Murdock's neck, but it didn't look too serious so he put that concern onto a back burner and looked to where the Captain was pointing. There was still plenty of chaos - the men were finding out the hard way that your average handgun didn't have enough power behind it to get through thick pig skin. The sow was now in a mindless rage. Time for the two of them to get the hell out of the area before the men saw them leaving - or they drew the sow's attention.

Hannibal led the way this time and Murdock followed along close after, though he kept looking back. Geeze! You'd think after being half-trampled that the guy would finally have the sense to let go of the piglet. He wished he could help the little one, but trying to while her mom was still on the warpath? Not conducive to continued good health. Then a voice called out and Murdock winced. It was that guy that looked like a businessman.

"That's quite far enough, Mister Murdock. Put your gun down or your son will be the one to pay the price."


	16. Chapter 16

**Part XVI**

The driver awaiting them when they got off of the plane was already aware of the situation from his talks with the Ambassador along the way.

"Soryojikan sends his regards, Taishi-kakka. He is smoothing the way with the local officials explaining that the incident here is one of someone trying to cause great embarrassment to both of our countries and that we are trying to handle it with a minimum of fuss to prevent that from happening."

"The Consulate-General's help is most appreciated, Toshiki-san."

Introductions were quickly made and then Toshiki continued with what he knew as he led them to the car.

"The contacts we have here discovered that the Sasugu family made arrangements for use of a mostly abandoned airstrip citing security and pretending to be representing our government. Once that was shown to be false, we have had full cooperation. If such observations as have been possible are correct, it would seem that the men that they kidnapped from Chicago have escaped somehow."

B.A. and Face exchanged both a glance and a slight smile at that. Both of their teammates were resourceful to the extreme. Hannibal could come up with a plan for almost any occasion and Murdock, in his own words, was crazy – not stupid. He'd proven multiple times that he had a little of Houdini's blood in him when it came to finding ways to escape bad situations.

"Last word was that the main group left the plane and were headed toward Yigo. I told them not to follow, but to keep an eye on the road to make sure that they did not leave the area. I will take you there now if you are ready."

No further encouragement was needed. They were quickly on their way and Toshiki pointed out the car of the ones that were watching out in case the suspects' car came back out. Just the fact they were still there meant that they hadn't returned by this route. They stopped just long enough to get a description of the car and the fact that five men were known to have been inside.

They hadn't driven much further when B.A. spotted a car matching the description pulled off to the side of the road ahead. At B.A.'s instructions, Toshiki backed until they were just out of sight, then pulled off to the side of the road himself. Face and B.A. got out immediately as Face spoke to the rest.

"Stay here. B.A. and I can scout ahead easier if it's just the two of us."

While that was true, it conveniently left out that the men ahead were very likely to be armed. Both B.A. and Face were of the opinion that the ones with them had done more than enough by getting them into the same area as their teammates. The rest should be up to them.

They hadn't been out of the car long with the high-pitched squealing reached their ears and was soon mixed with the sounds of screams and gunfire. Then Face spotted movement near the edge of the forest line.

"B.A.! I see Hannibal."

Before either of them could call out to the Colonel, they heard someone else calling out.

"That's quite far enough, Mister Murdock. Put your gun down or your son will be the one to pay the price."

On the outside, Murdock might have seemed relatively calm, especially for a man with a gun trained on him, but on the inside? His mind was spinning even faster than it normally did. Hannibal couldn't surrender. If he did, they were both lost.

"Just let him go and I'll go with you. I'm the one that broke ES's nose. I'm the one that screwed up his schemes."

The man's voice had an amused tone to it again. He wondered about the term ES, but decided to question that another time.

"You are not offering me anything that I do not already have."

Hannibal spoke up then.

"How about a little of your honor back? Your pride? I know that has to be taking it in the shorts from taking orders that benefit a little weasel like Nobu."

Whatever response Kondo might have come back with was lost as a scared and squealing piglet ran out of the forest and darted underneath Kondo's car to hide. Murdock forgot all about the gun still pointed at him when the mother pig burst onto the scene shortly thereafter. He dove to the side to get out of her way, tackling Hannibal to the ground at the same time as Kondo's gun went off.

The gunfire had an unfortunate effect – for Kondo. It captured the attention of the still furious sow. And since her piglet was now underneath the car behind Kondo and still making distressed squeals, she turned her full fury onto him and charged at him.

Hannibal's first thought was to get up and move off, but Murdock tightened his grip on him slightly and spoke softly.

"Stay still, Colonel. Trust me, we don't want to draw her attention right now."

Kondo proved to be a better shot than his men had. It took him more than one try even at close range, but he hit the attacking pig in the eye. She still managed to rip him with her tusks before her body fully registered that it had suffered a mortal wound. He aimed at the dying sow one last time and pulled the trigger. Nothing. He'd emptied his weapon. Hearing the empty click, Hannibal pulled away from Murdock and trained his own weapon on Kondo. He wasn't about to take the chance that the man might reload.

"Colonel! Are you alright?"

The voice behind him that he certainly wasn't expecting almost made Hannibal drop his guard. Almost.

"Face? Where? How? Never mind. We'll talk later. Yeah – I'm fine. Why do you ask?"

It was B.A.'s voice that answered him.

"You're bleeding, Hannibal."

That was when it registered with Hannibal that there was a wet and sticky patch on his back. But he was still pretty sure he wasn't hurt himself.

"Hell – guys! Go check on Murdock!"

"There he is – I see him, Face."

Murdock was still lying in roughly the same spot that he'd landed when he'd tackled Hannibal down. He'd thought he was still conscious – at least until he heard Face and B.A. speak. Then Murdock knew he had to have been knocked out because there was no way that the two of them could be there. He hadn't even had a chance to call them yet.

Face hesitated to move Murdock. The blood across the pilot's forehead showed where the blood on the back of Hannibal had come from and there was no telling how bad the wound might be. Reaching out, he gently touched his best friend on the shoulder.

"Murdock?"

"Shhhhhhhh."

Face lowered his voice.

"What's wrong? Head hurting bad, buddy?"

"No, but when my hallucinations start talking to me, it's never a good sign."

"Crazy fool. We ain't hallucinations. Open your eyes. I swear, sometimes feels like you're more trouble than you're worth."

"Am I?"

"Don't ask fool questions. Come on, let's get you up."

"But you can't be here. You're in Chicago. Why would you come here? **We** didn't even know we were coming here."

"It's a long story, little brother. Now hush and let us check you over. You're bleedin'."

"I am? I thought I was just sweating bad."

B.A. just shook his head and looked to Face.

"Fool's got a hole in his ball cap and a scalp wound that could use a stitch, but nothing serious."

"Not serious? That man killed my favorite ball cap. Hey – do you know if Bonnie is alright?

"Bonnie?"

Face and B.A. helped get Murdock back on his feet. The pilot was a bit unsteady, but anxiously looking around.

"Yeah. She ran and hid under the car, I think."

Hannibal started laughing. Mostly with relief.

"I think he's talking about his piglet. I didn't know he'd named her."

"What're you thinkin', Fool? You can't be takin' no pig home."

"I know that, big guy. But I can't just leave her out her all by herself. Her mom was shot and her brother was eaten by a snake."

Possibly the only one not surprised when Murdock was able to coax the piglet out was Hannibal. Bonnie settled right back into the Captain's arms just as she had before. While Face stayed by Murdock, B.A. walked back far enough to signal the car to come on up. On the way, Toshiki contacted the other car by walkie-talkie and had them come to the area as well.

For her part, Bethany didn't know whether to be relieved to see that Murdock was standing on his own two feet or horrified at the way he looked. She split the difference and went with being concerned. Her concern grew at the expression on his face. From the basic first-aid she learned back when she was a summer camp counselor, it looked to her like he was close to going into shock. He was still just holding onto the piglet and staring. Finally, he just let out a soft groan.

"Hannibal? I think I must've hit my head when I tackled you."

"No, Murdock. You aren't seeing things. They're really here. I'm not sure how but they are."

"Sunshine?"

Bethany felt almost overwhelmed with guilt. Murdock was bloody, dirty and looked exhausted. Unable to find words, she just came over and kissed him gently. The moment wasn't exactly magical. Bonnie gave a short squeal of indignation at the invasion by the other human. The positive side to that was that the laughter over the jealous piglet's noises broke the air of tension hanging in the air and Murdock's body noticeably relaxed.

The Ambassador spoke up when the laughter died down.

"Hannibal, let us get you and your man to our area here. Get you cleaned up and let the doctor take a look at you both. Toshiki and his men can take care of what remains to be done here."

A glance over to the still unsteady Murdock was all it took to convince Hannibal.

"Alright - sounds good. There are four other men in that direction. One of them got in the way of that wild pig there and he's either dead or close to it. I'm not sure what condition the other three are in."

Moving over to Murdock, Hannibal helped support him as they moved over to the car. Bethany took gentle hold of the opposite arm.

For her part, Bonnie just opened one eye and snuffled at the Colonel.

"You aren't my type either, sweetheart."


	17. Chapter 17

**Part XVII**

When they arrived at the house that the Consulate maintained for visitors, the first problem was separating Murdock from Bonnie. Murdock didn't even seem to be aware that he was still holding her and Bonnie showed no desire to be taken away. Hannibal finally just took a firm hold of the piglet and pulled her away, half afraid the she was going to start the siren imitation again. To his immense relief, Bonnie just gave a disgruntled snort. He reflected that in all likelihood, Bonnie was probably exhausted herself. He passed the piglet on over to Face, who took hold of her with far less than unbridled enthusiasm.

The Ambassador just chuckled and led Face to a pen outside. It was technically a dog kennel, but he thought it would serve quite well to corral the piglet. A pan of chopped fresh fruit and another of water were already waiting, courtesy of a staff member who had a relative that raised pigs. None of them were sure that Bonnie was old enough not to require nursing, but if that was the case, there was currently little they could do about that. She seemed to know what to do with the fruit though, so that was taken as a good sign.

While the doctor was looking over Murdock, Hannibal gratefully indulged in the offer of a hot shower. All the time that they'd spent in clothing that was either wet or damp hadn't done either of them any favors. The clothing he found laid out for him was a little large, but clean and dry. By the time he was dressed and out of the bathroom, the doctor was having what seemed to be a disgruntled conversation with the Ambassador - in Japanese, so Hannibal really couldn't make out what the problem was. Face and B.A. just gave him a shrug to indicate that they didn't know what the problem was either.

Seeing Hannibal, the Ambassador apparently told the doctor to wait and moved over to speak with the Colonel.

"The doctor says that Murdock is suffering from shock, dehydration and exhaustion - and also that he is too skinny. His main concern is that your man is verging on the hysterical over the suggestion that he needs to be sedated."

"That makes sense. The guys that took us kept us drugged most of the time between here and Chicago. Hell, I couldn't even venture a guess about what day it is now. I'd be reacting the same way if someone wanted to pump more chemicals into me."

"Ah. Understandable, but your man needs rest and the doctor says he does not seem likely to relax in his current condition."

"I think I might have an idea for that. I'm thinking that part of his brain is still convinced all of you showing is a hallucination. Let's face it... wait a minute. How **did** you guys know where to find us?"

"That was my fault -"

B.A. immediately broke in before Bethany could get out another word and took over.

"Nothin' that happened has been your fault, Bethany. Hannibal, that Secretary guy apparently still had folks workin' for him. They must've followed Murdock back to where Bethany was staying and met up with her sister. They told her some wild story about Murdock bein' wanted by the Japanese government an' offered her a reward if she could give them a lead on where Murdock might be going. She gave 'em Momma's address."

"I'm so sorry. I tried calling as soon as I found out what she'd done, but you weren't back in Chicago yet. I got on the first flight I could to try and -"

"Easy. Breathe. B.A.'s right - you haven't done anything wrong. And since I'm assuming that you meeting up with the guys is the reason that all of you are here? I'd say even if there were any debt, you repaid it. But I've got a favor to ask you. Face? Get over here."

"What do you need?"

"Face, you're the best among us for getting Murdock to relax. If Miss Bethany here is willing, I'd like to ask to two of you to watch over him. You're good at dealing with his nightmares and her voice could help convince him that he's not back 'there'."

The curiosity about what and where 'there' was naturally occurred to Bethany, but she didn't question it. Now simply wasn't the time.

"If you really think I could help, of course I will."

"We appreciate that. See if the two of you can get him to eat and drink something as well."

While not completely satisfied with the arrangements, the doctor agreed that it wouldn't hurt to try for twenty-four hours, but after that, something would have to be done.

Quietly, Face and Bethany ventured into the room Murdock was in together. The rather large bed made Murdock look even thinner than Face remembered and he gave an involuntary wince. Nowhere near as bad as he'd looked after they'd gotten him away from Decker, thankfully. The doctor leaving the room had calmed him down, but the blank way he was just staring at the ceiling bothered Face greatly.

Face gave the situation some thought, then removed his shoes before heading to the right side of the bed. Lifting the light blanket, he laid down next to his friend, rolled him onto his side and drew him closer while Bethany watched, slightly puzzled. Then she noticed what Face had already expected and seen. Despite the warmth of the room, Murdock was shivering.

She couldn't hear what Face was saying to his friend at first, but the words sounded soothing. Bethany hesitated a moment longer, then kicked off her own shoes and moved to the other side of the bed. She felt awkward but just took a deep breath as she slid under the blanket herself, moving until she was against Murdock's back.

Murdock's mind was still in major denial. Even if - and it was a pretty big if in his book - Face and B.A. actually were on Guam, Bethany wouldn't be. It all seemed so real though. The comforting warmth of the two other bodies, the familiarity of Face's voice, the light scent that he remembered as Bethany's. His brain finally came to a decision and he spoke very softly.

"Hannibal. How's Hannibal?"

"He's fine, buddy. B.A.'s going to watch over him just like I'm going to watch over you."

Face had chosen exactly the right words that Murdock needed to hear. He was safe. Someone else had his back. They felt the rest of the tension practically flow from Murdock's body as he slipped into the sleep he'd been denying himself. The soft, regular breathing lulled Face and Bethany as well. No-one had gotten any true restful sleep since the whole thing began.

When Hannibal took a chance and quietly opened the door fifteen minutes later, he looked in to see that all three were sleeping soundly and motioned the doctor over. While the man raised an eyebrow at the method, he approved of the results and showed it by his nod as Hannibal gently shut the door.


	18. Chapter 18

**Part XVIII**

Murdock almost startled awake. His dreams had tried to convince him that he was back in that room again, but his brain rejected that immediately. He wasn't exactly sure where he was, but he could feel that he wasn't alone. He'd always been alone there, so obviously he couldn't be there.

Since he knew he wasn't there, he opened his eyes. The first thing he saw was the peacefully sleeping features of Face. Awww. His bestest best buddy always looked about ten years younger when he was asleep. They weren't the only ones in the bed though.

Rolling over very slowly to avoid disturbing Face any more than necessary, Murdock found himself looking at Bethany. He couldn't resist lightly stroking his fingers along the reddish-blonde curls, but felt a little guilty then when his movements apparently woke her. When her green eyes opened, she seemed a bit disoriented herself. That, more than anything else, convinced him that she was really and truly there. Mindful that Face was still asleep, he spoke softly. He wasn't actually sure he could speak any other way with as sore as his throat was.

"Hello. Uhm, Bethany? It's not that I'm not really, really glad to see you and all, but what are you doing here?"

"Do you remember my sister? Candace?"

"The one that kept giving me the stink-eye from your room? How could I forget?"

In a rush of words that started Face waking up, Bethany told him everything with the air of a confession. By the end of it, she couldn't bring herself to meet his eyes anymore. She just felt his fingers move some of her hair away from her forehead before he kissed the spot he cleared.

"I'm sorry, Sunshine."

That got her eyes back on Murdock just as Face opened his own. Fortunately realizing he woke up in the middle of a conversation, Face kept quiet and let them continue uninterrupted.

"Why are you apologizing to me?"

"Because I got between you and your sister. I didn't mean to."

"You didn't. Candace didn't even try to know you. She just started jumping to all sorts of ideas. You aren't responsible for that."

"And neither are you."

The slightly sly grin on his face told her that he'd managed to steer that just the way he'd wanted to. Her mouth opened, then closed before she finally gave him a light swat.

"That was sneaky."

"Yep. But did it work?"

A smile quirked and she leaned over to kiss him lightly.

"Yep."

"Awww."

They both jumped slightly as Face revealed he was awake with that one sound. Face chuckled.

"Synchronized blushing. Nice unison there, you two. So - blood flow's obviously working. How about we get you some food in you, buddy? Doctor's orders."

Murdock felt like he could sleep for another few hours, but his stomach made its opinion known. A glance at a window showed the surprising fact that the sun was up. Then a sudden thought brought a grin to the pilot's face.

"Can we picnic? I know a park near one of the old Spanish bridges. I'm sure it's still bound to be there."

"Let me see if we can get something for you to wear, buddy. I don't see why anyone would mind where you eat so long as you do."

The doctor officially gave up any control at the question by throwing his hands up in the air. While Hannibal could appreciate the man's frustration, he'd have been lying if he said he wasn't amused. Besides, in his book, Murdock requesting a picnic was a huge step forward in the man's mental state and Hannibal was more than a little relieved to hear his man was acting normal. Well - normal for Murdock.

Their destination proved to be Tolai Acho park. Mossy and surprisingly quiet with a bronze statue of the local mermaid, Sirena, featured near the bridge Murdock had spoken of. While the others were getting a spot ready, Murdock excused himself to take Bethany over for a better look at the statue - it was new to him. Face couldn't resist a slight tease.

"See if you can keep him out of trouble for a few minutes."

No-one noticed the momentary look of concern that appeared in Murdock's eyes. It was quickly gone when Bethany took hold of his hand.

"It's beautiful here. How long has it been since you were here last?"

"I guess the last time I passed through was in '72. But it was back in '70 that I spent the most time here though. Always liked coming here for the occasional R & R. Nice folks, good food, pretty things to look at. This statue wasn't here back then, but we aren't far from where her house was supposed to be. Kind of a reverse on the Little Mermaid story. Instead of a mermaid that got legs, Sirena was a girl that loved the water so much she lost her legs."

"I'm not sure if that's sweet or sad."

"A little of both, Sunshine. Most folk tales and legends are. Come on, let's go back and join the guys."

"They're all nice once you get to know them."

Murdock just flashed her a grin at that.

"They're the best once you get to know them. Mis amigos."

Hannibal glanced up as the pair headed back over hand in hand.

"I hadn't taken the time yet to thank you for bringing my men over, Mister Ambassador."

"Neither of you would have been in this difficulty had Murdock not stepped in to protect my son. How could I not assist where I was able when I found out?"

"Actually, we know all too well how easy it is to turn a blind eye to something. Daiki has a strong character for a boy his age. I can see how he came by it."

"Thank you. But I have a bit of business to discuss with you. Since we are so close to Japan, there is some business I need to see to there. If that is agreeable to all of you, I will be back by the day after tomorrow at which time we can begin the trip back to Chicago."

Everyone immediately looked to Bethany. Hannibal didn't have a movie going at the moment and it wasn't like the rest of them had a regular job.

"That's fine with me. My only request would be if there is a way to drop me off in Dallas, that would be wonderful."

"That should not be a problem, Miss Bethany."

"Then we all are good, Mister Ambassador. Likely just as well to give myself and Murdock a little longer before getting back in the air anyway."

"It's a shame Bonnie can't go back with us. She and Billy would probably get along great."

"You know my rules, Murdock. Just one pet in the van."

"Hannibal, don't be encouragin' him on that invisible dog. He was wanting me to play fetch with it last month."

"Would you prefer a pig in the van?"

B.A.'s face scrunched up a bit at the thought of the piglet in the back of his van. Especially when he considered she'd eventually be a full grown sow herself.

"Hannibal's right, fool. And we're already used to havin' to walk Billy."


	19. Chapter 19

**Part XIX**

**Epilogue**

The unplanned stay in Guam proved to be a much-needed bit of relaxation for the team. B.A. was permitted to look over the Consulate's cars and relaxed into his favorite hobby of tinkering with engines. Hannibal and Face did a cautious bit of checking into the local nightlife, sticking together for safety just in case someone recognized them. There was, after all, a heavy amount of military on the island, but enough years had passed that they were fairly sure that they could plead mistaken identity – so long as matters didn't get to the stage of fingerprints.

To Murdock's delight, the Consulate-General was putting in a request to be allowed to keep Bonnie as their mascot. Murdock took Bethany to a couple of spots that he'd really liked from his prior visits, Two Lovers Point and Talofofo Falls. Sitting and watching the water streaming over the rocks, Murdock reached out and held Bethany's hand.

"Sunshine? Do you think I'm trouble?"

For a moment, she wondered if he was joking or possibly teasing, but there was a troubled look in those brown eyes that told her it was a real concern for him.

"No. No, I don't. I mean, things seem to happen around you, but from what I've seen, you don't go looking for it. You're a kind, loving man, HM Murdock. The world might be trouble, but you aren't."

When the day came to head back, he went with Bethany while she bought a few small souvenirs and postcards to go back with her. Hannibal caught up with the doctor. They had a slight language barrier, but Hannibal still wanted to let him know how much he appreciated his help.

"I am a doctor, it is what I do. Your Murdock – he has had a rough year? I see signs of recent healing?"

Sighing, Hannibal nodded.

"Very rough year. Poor kid seems to be a trouble magnet these days."

Murdock being called a kid brought a smile to the doctor's face as he handed a bottle to Hannibal.

"Just a supplement to add to his diet until he gains some more weight. He needs to eat more."

"I get that from my Mom too."

Turning, Hannibal saw that Murdock and Bethany had returned, so he offered the bottle of pills over to Murdock. There was a sad look in his Captain's eyes, but Hannibal attributed that to his thinking about Mother Baracus.

The plane ride back home was a long one. Murdock stuck by Bethany for the majority of the time and the rest of the team gave them space with even Face laying off the teasing when he sensed there was something a little off with his best friend's mood. He thought it was probably the thought of Dallas and Bethany leaving that had a lot to do with it. As a general rule, Murdock made friends easily, but he was intimate with very, very few. Face got the distinct impression that Murdock and Bethany had gotten intimate in more than one way.

They had a two-hour layover in Dallas due to the weather that Murdock didn't mind as it gave him a little longer to say goodbye, but once they were back in the air, the pilot was far quieter than usual. Face considered that as confirmation of his suspicions, but at least his buddy's spirits rose when they got back to Chicago.

Mother Baracus was thrilled to have all of her boys back, but gave Murdock an especially large hug as she welcomed him back.

"My poor Baby. Troubles just seem drawn to you lately. Come on inside, all of you. Food is on the table."

As a rule, there weren't a lot of things that Mother Baracus had said over the years that she had cause to regret. By and large, she was a woman that meant what she said and said what she meant. But in the days to come, those would be words that she would desperately wish that she could change.

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><p><em>Thanks to all the readers that came along for this ride - this story will be taking back up in my second A-TeamMan from U.N.C.L.E. crossover entitled **Careless Whispers.** _


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